The Southwestern Trails handmade jewelry collection was a completely unexpected jewelry collection release for me. Why? Because the inspiration is completely out of my wheelhouse.
Growing up my design aesthetics and personal tastes were the minority in my family. Let me back up for a second and explain further. I’m an only child, and for as long as I can remember, my parents have collected and displayed items from the American Southwest. Whether it was Native American pottery in rusts and browns, paintings of southwestern landscapes, painting the walls in these colors, or the woven rugs on display across the house, this style was all over my parent’s house. With one glaring exception: my bedroom.
My parents have always enjoyed learning about the history of the American Southwest and found inspiration in the decor and colors. But this isn’t a style that I pulled the same inspiration from. While I have accumulated a few personal mementos from our various trips, they now feel very out of place in my home which is decorated with modern lines, glass decoration, and clean lines. And, I opted for clean white walls in contrast to the neutral sand color my parents picked.
After years of holding a style that is so different from what you’d find in the American Southwest, and running from beads that were at home in this landscape (turquoise is the prime example; I don’t use this gemstone often because they don’t fit the other items I have in my stash), imagine my surprise when I felt the pull of that inspiration this summer. I found myself actively thinking more about how to design jewelry at home in the desert landscape.
Enter the Southwestern Trails handmade jewelry collection. As I was crafting my summer jewelry collection this year, I truly went out of my comfort zone with the colors chosen, and the inclusions, pushing myself into the unfamiliar motifs I hadn’t thought about for a while. Whether it was unique beads with shapes or the copper and brass additions, exploring this collection was definitely a change of pace.
As always, this handmade jewelry collection is available online on my Etsy Shop. Snag your favorites now before they’re gone; I can’t promise that this inspiration will strike again anytime soon.
